Baby Rex Loosing His Hair - Double Rex? PICS

[Good Karma]

Hi Everyone,

I recently adopted 2 baby boys; a black rex and a siamese. They are 3 months old. The black rex is loosing all of his hair. The person i adopted them from said that the rex lost his hair once before and it was growing back when i got him. It grew in kind of coarse and then got soft and now is disapearing.
-he or his brother have not been treated for mites
-they are eating oxbox with fresh veggies and dried fruit as well as some sunflower seeds and peanuts. Should i add more protein?
-i have been giving herring oil for the EFAs, i thought that would help with his coat.

Any suggestions?

 

[Moon]

From http://www.curiosityrats.com/mine.html

"Double Rex Fur: Also called mock hairless or patchwork hairless. Double Rex rats are NOT related to hairless genes. In fact, most double Rex rats have a complete coat of hair throughout most of their adult lives. Rex (curly) fur is caused by a single dominant gene. Two of these genes cause double Rexes. Their fur is short and wavy to curly. On the shoulders, it is coarser and has a tendency to have bald patches there off and on. When a double Rex is a few weeks old, it becomes almost completely bald except for the feet, face, and base of the tail (the fur there is VERY soft). Then the fur grows in again. (Some regular Rexes will go bald at this age too.) In general, double Rexes look like lambs at various points in shearing cycles. They always have furry legs, but the fur on their backs and bellies is short (though sometimes long and sometimes bald). Double Rex rats have warm skin, like hairless rats, but they don't have any of the lactation/reproduction problems or dry skin associated with hairless. Double Rexes need no special care, though frequent nail clipping is encouraged because they have less "protection" against their own scratching. Double Rexes usually have short, tightly curled whiskers, which make some more susceptible to eye irritations (like hairless rats)."

Beyond that, I have no ideas.

 

[Good Karma]

I was thinking double rex as well. But there were babies in the litter with smooth coats so i thought that maybe he wasn't. Can you have doubles rexes and smooths in the same litter?

 

[Moon]

I really don't know. I was trying to figure that out, but haven't found anything yet.

Oh.. wait... these guys appear to be brothers, and one *may* be double rex.

 

[lilspaz68]

rexes sometimes lose their fur and grow it back...as long as there is no excessive scratching just enjoy the Coat show

 

[Willow Bean]

I'll try to do some digging, but I'm pretty sure that it is possible for a litter to have smooth coats, rex coats and double rex coats. If Mom was a rex and Dad was a rex you could, ideally, have some rex, some double rex and some smooth. everything that you described sounds like a double rex coat to me. They are pretty course growing in because the hair follicle splits instead of staying together, causing the rex coat, and the hair gets softer as they coat ages because the hairs are longer and less... prickly (for lack of a better word) Like lilspaz says, "enjoy the coat show" I doubt there is anything wrong but I would watch the skin as the old coat falls out to be sure you can't see any scabbing or buggies. Double rexes are soooo cute! ^_^


Rex
The gene Re - Rexing locus (dominant)
Re/Re = rexed or mock hairless
Re/re = rexed coat
re/re = standard coat

 

[Moon]

I apparently didn't post a link I meant to post.. and now I can't find it. Whoops. :roll:

 

[Good Karma]

Here are some pics i took of the little man lastnight. He still has hair on his head, tummy and back end but not on his back and sides.

Double Rex?

 

[Melissa's ZOO]

I would say most definitely a double rex.

edit: He sure a cute little guy.

 

[user 78]

You can have a variety of coats, colors, ears, etc in any litter. Standard, rex, and double rex are definitely possible within the same litter. Just like you can have some dumbos, some standard eared, some fawns, some agouti berks, etc..

Just sit back and enjoy the coat show! It doesn't cause any sort of discomfort or anything, although he may get some scratches during his bald phases from every day play. It's just more noticeable when they don't have hair.

 

[jorats]

He certainly is... a gorgeous double rex little guy.

 

[lilspaz68]

What a doll Good Karma!!!

 

[dingosm8]

My little Roo is a double rex, and the only one in his litter (at least 8 babies). His littermates all look like Una

Here he is with his sister Una, he was the only 'pink' one out of all the white babies. This was when I first got him.

This is a recent photo of him with his hair growing in, and very smooth and soft hair it is.

 

[Bronwyn]

You know, I didn't think I'd find them cute but they really are! :shock: Do double rexes lose their fur completely at any point?

 

[mamarat]

Those are beautiful double rexes. They're my fav. :lovestruck:

 

[Willow Bean]

" :thud: :bliss: :love11: :wow5: " I think I've just died of cuteness overload... WOW!! You both have such cute double rexes!!

 

[user 78]

Some may go 99% bald, but they always keep a bit of fuzz around their face, on their feet, and the base of their tail.

 

[dingosm8]

Here's a new photo of Roo...he's losing quite a bit of hair, especially around his face.